Greenville High School senior Rachel Unger and her younger sister, Bridget, started Comforting Comforters in winter of 2018.

Courtesy photo

GREENVILLE — Local nonprofit Comforting Comforters is once again collecting items to donate to the homeless of Darke County, as well as to the Darke County Animal Shelter and BARK Rescue.

Donation boxes can be found at Montage Cafe and Tangles, both located on South Broadway Street in downtown Greenville. The group is currently looking for items such as cinch bags, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, single-serving tuna packets, body wash/soap, dog toys (including tennis balls, rope toys, or similar), dog collars, and chill pads for dogs. These items will be distributed through local nonprofits Community Action Partnership, the Darke County Animal Shelter, and BARK Rescue.

A Greenville High School senior and her younger sister, a fifth-grader at DeColores Montessori, partnered with a number of local businesses to start Comforting Comforters in winter of 2018. Rachel Unger came up with the idea while going for a drive with her parents.

“We drove through an underpass, and there were seven homeless people sitting there. I was cold sitting in school later on, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” Unger said. “I asked my mom if there was anything we could do to help, and she said, ‘Maybe not those people specifically, but I’m sure there’s something we can do to help the homeless in our own community.”

Unger’s mother put out an open invitation on Facebook for local businesses to volunteer as drop-off points for socks and blankets, as well as for treats and blankets intended for animals at the Darke County Animal Shelter.

This past winter, Comforting Comforters collected 337 pairs of socks, 154 blankets, 26 dog toys and 28 hats, all of which were donated to local nonprofits. The group’s efforts were made possible because of local businesses that agreed to host collection boxes, as well as donations from Lowe’s and from the community as a whole.

“I do the ‘helping humans’ side of things, and my sister Bridget volunteers at the animal shelter,” Unger said. “Her goal is to make sure every animal at the shelter is adopted. They go and play with the animals, and they post pictures on Facebook. The ladies at the shelter are always very friendly. It’s an environment where everybody just wants to help, so it’s good.”

The boxes taking collections for the current push will be in place through July 6, 2018.

For more information and updates about this program, follow Comforting Comforters on Facebook.

Greenville High School senior Rachel Unger and her younger sister, Bridget, started Comforting Comforters in winter of 2018.

https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2018/06/web1_Comforters.jpegGreenville High School senior Rachel Unger and her younger sister, Bridget, started Comforting Comforters in winter of 2018. Courtesy photo

By Tony Baker

abaker@dailyadvocate.com

The writer may be reached at (937)569-4315. To join the conversation and get updates on Facebook, search Advocate360. For more features online, go to dailyadvocate.com